Posted By Yesenia Robles On March 22, 2012 @ 4:34 pm In Jefferson County Schools,Students | No Comments

Police K9 units that were out this week doing a drug sweep at Pomona High School encountered something unexpected: a cat.

Pomona student Sara Hashman was in the classroom when the encounter happened. The K9 units surprised students (even though the same sweep was done last spring [1]too) during third period — French class for Sara.

“Kendra decided to show-and-tell her cat Ebony, so she brought the cat in,” Sara explains. “At the beginning of class our principal Mr. Geise came on the announcements and told us we had some “special guests” who were coming in to help keep us safe. We all looked at Kendra and Ebony — who was yowling in her carrier — and Kendra looked a little freaked out and asked if she should leave just in case the dogs came in.”

After the teacher reassured Sara’s classmate Kendra that the dogs were unlikely to pick their class to search, show and tell demonstrations got underway.

Sure enough, 10 to 15 minutes later, the school’s vice principal opens the door and asks everyone to step outside so the K9’s could sniff out the classroom.

Students exited the classroom, and Kendra was able to carry Ebony out into the hallway with the rest of the class. As students walked out of the class, a large German Shepherd K9 looked on. But Ebony was safe and all worries dissipated.

“The funniest part of the whole thing is a toss-up between the irony of the one day someone brings a cat into the school we have the dogs come in and check the classroom that the cat is in — and the expressions on our faces when we heard that the dogs were checking our class,” Sara said.

The search is part of an occasional strategy to prevent and reduce drug use and contraband at local schools. The random school searches are coordinated with Jefferson County Public Schools.